Photo Inspiration With Addicted to Stamps and More!

It's time for a new challenge at Addicted to Stamps and More, and this one is a fabulous photo collage to inspire you! Take a look:

I think you can see where I got my inspiration from:

I had picked up some fun die cuts on a recent trip to Michael's, and thought this cupcake was a perfect choice for the challenge! The letters and cupcake holder have some wonderful gold in them. 
My layout is from Mojo Monday 507:

Hope you will join us for our Photo Inspiration Challenge!

It's the January Picket Fence Studios Release Day!

For those at Creativation (formerly CHA) in Phoenix, it couldn't be a more exciting day. The floor opens at 9 AM MST, and that's when everyone can see the super awesome Picket Fence Studios booth, and the {January Release}! You might miss the floor excitement, but the entire team is sharing the release today!

There are stencils, die cuts, and awesome stamp sets (several boho themed!), as well as some amazing and versatile sentiment sets, so be sure to check out my teamies' blogs too!

I love the sense of movement and delight in Vortex of Fish. 

I stamped in VersaFine Clair Nocturne on a watercolor background, and popped up the sentiment on a matted heart. A few Ocean Breeze sequins for sparkle and some linen thread, and it's ready to mail! 

There are many sentiments to mix and match, as well as some single fishies.

My second card for today stays in the Animal Kingdom, and shows two images from Stand in the Sunshine - plus the new Sunburst Stencil!

I used my Life Changing Brushes and Fossilized Amber DOX to create the background. The little circle and foxes (colored with Copics) are popped up for some fun dimension. This set has matching dies too, so cutting is easy!

Aren't they sweet?  
Follow Picket Fence Studios on Instagram @picketfencestudios for details on how you might win the {ENTIRE release}!

More to come this week! Stay tuned!

Thinkin' About Coffee

Goodness, it's a coffee day at my house. It's so foggy outside that I can hardly see across the street. Snow coming, and I'm thinkin' about coffee! I had this little inked square left from another project quite awhile ago, and it was perfect for what I wanted today to pair with my Trinity Stamps' images.

I inked up my cutie pie coffee pot (Coffee With Character) and sentiment (Caffeinated Sentiments) with VersaFine Clair Nocturne, and added a coffee die cut from Copper Metallic cardstock (always hard to photograph). The patterned paper background (Echo Park) has such fun coffee sayings. I thought a little doily would add a cute bit of embellishment. The heart die down the side is from a retired die set I have had in my stash.

If you haven't yet purchased Coffee With Character, you must! It's a set you will use for so many things, and with the added features of arms and smiles and so many other images, there are endless possibilities!

Strength and Survival

I am super excited about the huge Picket Fence Studios January Release - happening on Saturday!! It coincides with the Creativation Floor Opening in Phoenix. Isn't that awesome?! Be sure to stop back at 9 AM MST on Saturday to see some fun new products.  PLUS - I will have a giveaway as well!

But before that, I want to show this awesome set called Weathering the Storm Together This is such an amazing group of sentiments that I know I will use over and over. I decided to make a print with my Gel Press, using acrylic paints. The way this one turned out just really seemed to fit with the new sentiment. What do you think?

The texture the paint gives, plus the "inconsistency" of the stencil pattern really visualizes the entire poetic statement. 

I think it's time to make more monoprints! I love the results and it's so much fun!

Freshly Made Sketches #371

It's Wednesday and time for a new sketch at FreshlyMade Sketches! Jen M. has a fun design for us today, with a lot of possibilities. The team came up with such a variety of ideas for inspiration, so be sure to check them out HERE.

My card today uses some new things I got on a trip to Michael's last week when I took my family back to the airport after Christmas. The closest Michael's is two hours away, so this was fun (I do have an amazing Hobby Lobby, so am not hurting haha!).  I grabbed some super fun die cuts by Recollections for Valentine's Day projects, and a Cuttlebug embossing folder with hearts. They were perfect for today's sketch!

The die cuts have all my favorite pinks and reds together for a traditional look, plus some gorgeous gold foiling. My center strip (The Paper Studio) also has gold foiling. I used Hammermill White for my base, and Cherry Cobbler (SU!) for the embossed panel. Quick and easy!

Come play along with us. You can choose any shape for the heart in the sketch. Our challenge is open until 3 PM EST on Monday!

I am also linking up with The Card Concept, with this beautiful inspiration photo:

I was inspired by the beautiful florals and the gold flatware in my clean/layered card. 
Plus - it's the halfway mark for The Rainbow Card Challenge! It's all about RED!

 

Stacked Stencils, Anyone?

I had so much fun with this technique! I hope that you will give it a try. Today I am hosting the Splitcoaststampers Technique Challenge. I chose my lovely friend, Dina's, SCS Tutorial for the instructions, which you can find HERE.

I used two stencils - Altenew's Grid and Dylusions Alpha. I started by using washi tape to hold the Grid stencil in place and used my Life Changing Brushes from Picket Fence Studios, along with Tumbled Glass Distress ink. I then taped down the Alpha stencil on top of the Grid. I thought there would be no way I could get into those little spaces through two stencils, but those brushes are AMAZING! You simply must try them!

My Alpha stencil is in Salty Ocean ink. My little robot is a retired Printworks wood mounted stamp, but I just love him. 

Give this technique a whirl. It's a ton of fun to think of all the fabulous combinations you could make with just a few stencils!

Whimsy Stamps' January Paper Door Kit is Here!

Whimsy Stamps is excited to introduce their newly REDESIGNED PAPER DOOR kits for 2019! Now your monthly crafty goodness delivered right to your front door is even more affordable, and includes even more exclusive Whimsy Stamps products! The January 2019 PAPER DOOR Kit is now available to purchase in the Whimsy Stamps Shop!

• BRAND NEW kit debuting on the 10th of each month
• Each kit is a $50+ retail value for only $29.95 plus shipping! You can now order with other products and qualify for the CAS program as well as Free Shipping on orders of $75 or more if shipping to USA only
• EXCLUSIVE NEW 6x6 Whimsy Stamps designer paper pack collections, fun and creative designs on heavy weight paper with a beautiful sheen - 24 double sided sheets
• TWELVE sheets of 8.5x5.5 heavy weight neutral card stock - in black and white plus two sheets of gloss-coated white card stock also 8.5 x 5.5
• SPECIAL EDITION 4x6 clear stamp set created exclusively for Paper Door
• COMPLEMENTING die set to easily cut out the images from the 4x6 stamp set, designed exclusively for PAPER DOOR
• SPECIAL EDITION word dies "Smile" and "Special" introduced especially for PAPER DOOR
• PRIVATE access to PDF files with step-by-step instructions for at least 4 different projects

I am excited to be joining the Paper Door team! I always enjoy the ease of kits - and it's fun to see what different projects you can come up with! The stamp set in this kit has so many fun penguin images, some snowflakes, and lots of funny sentiments.

Today's card uses two of the penguin stamps, as well as the Smile coordinating die, two of the papers from the paper pack, and black and white cardstock - all included!  I added some orange cardstock for the sentiment to match their colored beaks.

Each kit is a LIMITED EDITION and individual items may or may not be released at a later date. Supplies are limited so order yours today, and unlock your creativity with Whimsy Stamps PAPER DOOR kits!

 Thanks for stopping by today!

Freshly Made Sketches #370

It's Wednesday and time for a new sketch at Freshly Made Sketches! Jen T. has an awesome design for us today, with a lot of possibilities. The team came up with such a variety of ideas for inspiration, so be sure to check them out HERE.

My card uses snowman2build from The {Stamps} of Life. We still have a winter ahead of us in Nebraska! My panel and snowman are from Echo Park's retired Winter Fun paper pack. My snowman is heat embossed, stamped with the sentiment, and then adhered to the front panel. The snowflakes are from a pack I have been collecting over the years from punches and die cuts.

I hope you will come play along with us this week! 

Thanks for stopping by and for your comments!

Got A Big Day Coming Up?

How is the New Year treating you so far? I have been enjoying my family from Arizona, Nebraska, and North Carolina the last week or so, and it has been marvelous. My two sweet grandchildren from NC have been a joy to have here 24/7 (along with their parents!), my sister from Arizona just returned to her home (and snow in the desert!) last night, and my daughter who lives here in town has been over at my house a lot, which I love. It's been a blessing. We took family photos last night, so I will be posting some of those soon! If you make it to the end of this post, you will see my two sweet little ones - 3 and almost 10 months!

But first -- I want to share a fun shaker card today using one of the new releases from Picket Fence Studios. The stamp set is called Cookie or Donut? and has a lot of fun sentiments, as well as matching dies.

I chose "congratulations on your big day" and stamped it and my cookie and hearts in VersaFine Sepia ink, then colored my cookies with Copics. I made a shaker card using Sweet & Tart Heart Sprinkle Embellishments from Trinity Stamps and some white glitter.

I added a felt heart embellishment from Me & My Big Ideas that I have had in my stash forever for a little extra heart fun. Perfect for someone celebrating a big accomplishment, or celebrating a milestone! Cookies make everything more fun!

But more fun than that -- these two:

Entering these challenges:
Crafty Catz - Open, E3, T3, SW - W (#443) 
                    Theme: Always Anything Goes
                    Optional: Food and Drink

Creative Knockouts - Open, E2, OE8, RW - (#279) 

                  Celebrations 

Through the Purple Haze - Open, JFF, Max 3E, ST3, SW - Jan - (#152)                    

                  Favorite Color (pink!)

Freshly Made Sketches #369

I am thrilled to be joining the Freshly Made Sketches Design Team with today's Sketch #369! It's always so fun to see the variety and interpretation from the team members, and this one is no exception. So -- be sure to head over to {the blog} and see all of the awesome inspiration!

I am using wish2make from The {Stamps} of Life. I stamped my dandelions in Raspberry ink and my sentiment in Licorice.

I tied jute string around the top two layers, and added raspberry gems (Kaiser Sparkles) for a little sparkle. Take a look at the sketch below, and then come play along! Details are on the FMS Blog!

It's a New Year and a New Challenge!

Happy New Year and Hello, friends! It's a new year, and a new challenge at The Rainbow Card Challenge! I have always enjoyed color, and am excited to share my creations with you each month based on the photo prompt! Can you guess our color for January by looking at my card?

January is RED - that first color in the rainbow! This adorable little monster was a Christmas gift to me - and is from Concord & 9th's new Monster Love. Cute as can be! I stamped on Hammermill paper with VersaFine Clair Nocturne, and then colored with Copics R27 & 29, and C1, C5, and W1. The LOVE is a group of sticker letters I have had in my stash forever from Me & My Big Ideas.

 

I hope you will come check out {this brand new monthly challenge} and play along with us! 

It's the First Challenge of the Year -- in Australia!

Happy New Year's Eve to all my Northern Hemisphere friends! In Australia, it's already 2019, and the first challenge for Happy Little Stampers is up and running! I am joining the Watercolour team (I love that spelling) for the next six months.

Today I am sharing a card using images from the Picket Fence Studios December release called Forgot To Say Thank You. It features a beautiful jar of flowers with three sentiments.

I stamped my image on watercolor paper, and then used an aqua brush and my Kuretake Gansai Tambi paints to color. Once it was dry, I painted the entire bouquet with the Nuvo Aqua Shimmer Glitter pen for lots of sparkle and added texture! While the photo doesn't pick that up, it's so sparkly IRL!

Our {challenge on HLS} is all about watercolour - Anything Goes - and for an added twist (optional), add texture! Come play!

Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve! And to my Australian friends - HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Snow Snuggable

Well this is just a perfect sentiment for this coming week, as my two grandkids and their parents are coming Christmas Day -- and I am going to snuggle them all!

This adorable little bunny is from Whimsy Stamps' Bundled Up - a super cute set with a lot of fun mix and match sentiments and some cute as can be creatures and girl.

I made a tag, sponged on some Island Indigo ink (Stampin' Up!), and then cut a snow bank using the Wavy Edgers Die Set. I added some Diamond Stickles to the top of each scallop for a sparkling snow. I colored my bunny with Copics, and then fussy cut him and popped him up on the snow bank once the Stickles were dry.

Isn't he precious?

It's Release Day at Picket Fence Studios!

Today is Release Day at Picket Fence Studios!!
I am super excited about this release - there is such a variety of images! Today I am sharing a sweet little greeting using Have A Cheerful Day, and her matching die!

Such a cute image, with so many possibilities! I stamped with VersaFine Clair Nocturne ink, and then embossed with Clear Embossing Powder. I colored her with alcohol markers, and then cut her out, and popped her up on the card base.

Her little face will surely bring a smile!

Be sure to check out the entire release today - AND head to the Picket Fence Studios Instagram account, where you might win the entire release. BUT HURRY!